Fauresmith

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title: "Fauresmith" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-the-kopanong-local-municipality", "populated-places-established-in-1849", "1849-establishments-in-africa"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-the-kopanong-local-municipality" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauresmith" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Fauresmith
image_skyline	Fauresmith main street.JPG
image_caption	Fauresmith main street with the railway line along the centre
pushpin_map	South Africa Free State#South Africa#Africa
coordinates
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	South Africa
subdivision_type1	Province
subdivision_name1	Free State
subdivision_type2	District
subdivision_name2	Xhariep
subdivision_type3	Municipality
subdivision_name3	Kopanong
subdivision_type4	Main Place
established_title	Established
established_date	1849
government_type	Municipality
leader_party	ANC
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Xolile Mathwa
area_footnotes
area_total_km2	53.2
population_footnotes
population_total	3628
population_as_of	2011
population_density_km2	auto
demographics_type1	Racial makeup (2011)
demographics1_footnotes
demographics1_title1	Black African
demographics1_info1	68.6%
demographics1_title2	Coloured
demographics1_info2	22.8%
demographics1_title3	Indian/Asian
demographics1_info3	0.5%
demographics1_title4	White
demographics1_info4	7.8%
demographics1_title5	Other
demographics1_info5	0.4%
demographics_type2	First languages (2011)
demographics2_footnotes
demographics2_title1	Afrikaans
demographics2_info1	61.2%
demographics2_title2	Sotho
demographics2_info2	15.5%
demographics2_title3	Xhosa
demographics2_info3	14.1%
demographics2_title4	Tswana
demographics2_info4	6.5%
demographics2_title5	Other
demographics2_info5	2.7%
timezone1	SAST
utc_offset1	+2
postal_code_type	Postal code (street)
postal_code	9978
postal2_code_type	PO box
postal2_code	9978
area_code_type	Area code
area_code	051
::

Fauresmith is located 130 km south west of Bloemfontein, South Africa. The town, named after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in the Free State.

Fauresmith is the only town in South Africa, and one of only three in the world, where the railway line runs down the centre of the main road.

The town is well known in equestrian circles for the annual National Equestrian Endurance Race, during which the horses and riders must complete a grueling 205 km course during the three days of the event.

Winters are extremely cold with temperatures often below freezing.

History

With the settlement of Europeans in the region, there was a need for a church. They wanted a farm for this purpose. After much negotiation (without success) with the British Government, a temporary church was built on the farm "Sannahspoort" – currently Fauresmith. The church council later bought Sannahspoort for 14 000 rixdollars (£1050). Immediately stands were sold to get the funds necessary to build a permanent church. An interesting condition of sale was that no spirits or other strong liquor may have been sold on any of the plots. The selling of plots was the biggest income of the church at the time. The current congregations of the surrounding towns of Philippolis, Trompsburg, Edenburg, Petrusburg, Koffiefontein, Luckhoff and a great deal of Jacobsdal were part of the congregation.

Two years before the founding of the town, the intervention of the British government in the affairs of the Free State led to the military clash between Boer and Briton at the Battle of Boomplaats, about 30 km from the current Fauresmith.

On August 30, 1851, a meeting was held at Sannahspoort. The heading of the minutes, states "Fauresmith."

After Bloemfontein, Fauresmith was the most important town in the Free State. The first House of Assembly had to choose between the two to determine which would be the capital of the Free State. The vote went to Bloemfontein with a two-vote majority.

Archaeology

Main article: Fauresmith (industry)

Fauresmith is the name site for a stone tool industry that is often defined as a transitional industry between the Acheulian and the Middle Stone Age or as the end of the Acheulian or beginning of the MSA. The Fauresmith is found at a number of other archaeological sites such as Wonderwerk Cave and Kathu Pan where it is potentially dated to at least 420,000 years ago. The Fauresmith consists of MSA technology such as blades, points and prepared core technology as well as retaining handaxes from the Acheulian. The type sites are Brakfontien 321 and Riverview Estates Site VI.

References

Herries, A.I.R. 2011. A chronological perspective on the Acheulian and its transition to the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa: the question of the Fauresmith. International Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 961401, .
Van Riet Lowe, C. 1927. The Archaeology of the Vaal River Basin. In Söhnge, P.G., Visser, D.J.L. & Van Riet Lowe, C. (eds). The Geology and Archaeology of the Vaal River Basin. 61-164. Geological Survey Memoirs 35

References

Robson, Linda Gillian. (2011). "The Royal Engineers and settlement planning in the Cape Colony 1806–1872: Approach, methodology and impact". University of Pretoria.
"Free State Tourism.org".
Sum of the Main Places [http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/461006 Ipopeng] and [http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/461007 Fauresmith] from Census 2011.
Herries 2011
Van Riet Lowe 1937

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